Practical  Research  Work  in 
Photoplay  Writing 

By  ADELINE   M.  ALVORD 


Practical   Research  Work  in 
Photoplay  Writing 


ADELINE  M.  ALVORD 


One  of  a  Series  of  Lectures  Especially 

Prepared  for  Student-Members 

of  The  Calmer  'Plan 


PALMER  PHOTOPLAY  CORPORATION 

DEPARTMENT  OF  EDUCATION 

LOS  ANGELES,  CALIFORNIA 


Copyright,  IQ2O,  Palmer  Photoplay  Corporation,  Los  Angeles,  California 
All  Rights  Riscr-ued 


ADELINE  M.  ALVORD 

ADELINE  M.  ALVORD  is  an  advanced  student  of  drama, 
having  been  identified  with  educational  dramatics  and 
professional  work  for  many  years.  While  in  college 
she  made  a  reputation  as  a  dramatic  reader  and  a  student  of 
dramatic  construction.  In  1913  she  took  up  her  residence  on  the 
Pacific  Coast  and  established  a  studio  of  dramatic  art  in  Port- 
land, Oregon.  In  such  connection  she  surrounded  herself  with 
much  talent,  including  Lord  and  Lady  Aberdeen,  Marie  Meyer, 
famous  through  her  work  at  Oberamerguu,  and  many  others. 
During  this  period  she  was  affiliated  with  the  J.  B.  Pond  Lyceum 
Bureau  of  New  York,  and  was  considered  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful Shakespearean  coaches  in  the  ll'est.  I\rot  satisfied  that 
her  knowledge  and  reputation  were  sufficient,  she  continued  her 
studies,  working  during  the  summer  months  under  such  men  as 
ll'innens  of  Cornell  and  U.  B.  Sufton  Holdorne  of  Oxford  at  the 
University  of  California.  IT/ien  the  war  necessitated  the 
closing  of  many  private  schools  in  every  line  of  art,  Mrs.  Alvord 
moved  to  Los  Angeles  and  became  interested  in  motion  picture 
production.  Her  knowledge  of  dramatic  literature,  technique 
and  values  soon  won  for  her  recognition,  and  she  accepted  a 
position  in  the  scenario  department  at  the  Metro  Studios,  where 
she  made  rapid  advancement  in  her  work  until  finally  she  was 
given  full  charge  of  the  Research  Department  of  that  organiza- 
tion. Recognizing  her  value,  the  Palmer  Photoplay  Corporation 
engaged  her  to  organize  its  Department  of  Research,  and  this 
task  she  accomplished  admirably.  The  advice  contained  in  the 
following  pages  is  indicative  of  the  sound  r/uality  of  common 
sense  that  characterizes  all  of  Mrs.  Alvord's  work. 


U.C.LA. 
Arts  Library 


IN  the  Handbook  the  discussion  of  research  was  omit- 
ted, not  because  Mr.  Palmer  considered  it  a  non- 
essential  topic,  but  for  the  reason  that  its  relative 
value  and  comparative  importance  in  the  usually  accepted 
sense  has  been  more  concerned  with  the  production  of  a 
motion  picture  than  in  the  construction  of  the  story.   Most 
studios    now   maintain    Research    Departments    wherein 
experts  obtain  authentic  data  covering  the  details  of  cus- 
toms, costumes,  implements,  architecture  and  furniture  of 
various  periods  and  places. 

2.  It  is  a  fact  that  would  be  hilariously  laughable, 
were  it  not  lamentable,  that  until  recently,  and  occasion- 
ally even  today,  glaring  and  preposterous  errors  are  per- 
mitted  to  creep    into   film   productions,   errors   that   are 
utterly  unnecessary  and  obviously  the  direct  and  natural 
result  of  haste,   carelessness  or  indifference.     To   avoid 
injustice,  let  me  say  that  I  believe  the  latter  of  these  rea- 
sons to  be  seldom  the  cause,  for  competition  is  so  keen 
among  producers  that  each  is  desirous  of  doing  a  high 
quality  of  work.     Haste  and  carelessness,  with  misinfor- 
mation as  an  added  factor,  usually  underlie  the  blunders 
that  find  their  way  into  the  completed  film. 

3.  When  Mr.  Palmer  asked  me  to  write  a  lecture 
on  the  subject  of  Research  I  was  mildly  surprised,  for  I 
failed  to  see  just  how  a  specialized  branch  of  studio  tech- 
nique could  assist  the  student  of  film-story  construction. 
After  an  open-minded  analysis  of  the  matter,  however,  I 
concluded  that  a  better  quality  of  work  would  come  from 

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students  if  more  attention  were  given  to  Research  right  at 
the  beginning;  that,  instead  of  proceeding  on  the  basis  of 
"here  is  the  rough  idea — let  the  director  do  the  rest,"  the 
writer  would  better  take  more  time  and  pains  and  include 
necessary  details  in  the  original  manuscript.  This  would 
accomplish  more  than  one  useful  service;  it  would  assure 
the  presentation  of  a  detailed  synopsis  more  fully  com- 
plete and  thus  more  acceptable  and  valuable  to  the  buyer 
so  far  as  price  is  concerned,  and  it  would  also  compel  the 
author  to  write  about  what  he  knows  and  know  whereof  he 
writes,  not  only  in  the  matter  of  physical  details,  but  in  fine 
photo-dramtaic  values  as  well. 

4.  What  is  Research?    The  definition  of  the  word  is 
distinctly  comprehensive:  "Diligent  inquiry  or  examina- 
tion in  seeking  facts  or  principles;   laborious  or  continued 
search  after  truth."     Research,  as  applied  to  photoplay 
writing,  means  just  that,  with  a  very  strong  emphasis  on 
"diligent."     It  is  diligently  seeking  out  with  continued 
care  social  customs,  manners  of  dress,  architecture,  or  any 
details  involved  in  the  plot,  place  or  people  of  a  screen 
story,  that  may  bring  the  finished  work  to  a  point  as  closely 
as  possible  approaching  perfection. 

5.  A  story  came  in  some  months  ago  from  a  student 
living  in   Montana.     It  was  conceded  by  the  Advisory 
Bureau  to  be  an  excellent  tale  in  a  general  way.     The 
action  opened  in  Montana  and  ended  in  New  York.    For- 
tunately the  big  situations  were  laid  in  Montana,  where 
the  author  knew  exactly  what  he  was  talking  about.    Then 
the  story  switched  to  New  York,  and  it  at  once  became 
evident    that    the    author    was    treading    on    unfamiliar 
ground.     There  was  an  elaborate  description  of  a  society 
scene  in  a  conservatory  and  some  very  necessary  details 
involving   the    wonderful    teak-wood    in    a    millionaire's 
drawing  room. 

6.  This  writer  was  not  in  the  least  familiar  with  con- 


servatories  or  drawing  rooms  of  New  York  millionaires, 
and  his  handling  of  the  subject  bordered  on  the  ridiculous. 
So  indispensable  were  the  happenings  interwoven  through 
this  part  of  the  story,  however,  that  changes  could  not 
easily  be  made.  There  was  a  ready  market  just  at  that 
moment  for  just  such  a  story,  but  it  was  necessary  to  return 
the  manuscript  for  reconstruction  and  revision.  By  the 
time  it  came  back  in  its  amended  form  the  opportunity  for 
its  sale  no  longer  existed. 

7.  Had   the   author  devoted   time   and   thought   to 
careful  research  before  first  submitting  the  manuscript, 
the  return  and  revision  would  have  been  unnecessary  and 
the  sale  would  have  been  promptly  made.     Fortunately, 
this  story  was  sold  at  a  later  date,  although  at  a  price  con- 
siderably less  than  could  have  been  obtained  in  the  first 
instance.    Had  the  story  been  submitted  direct  to  a  studio 
and  rejected,  the  author  might  have  never  known  what 
prevented  the  sale,  and  his  time  and  effort  would  have 
been  wasted.     Frequently  just  such  weakness  or  careless- 
ness in  construction  and  details  ruins  the  selling  prospects 
of  an  otherwise  good  story. 

8.  On  another  occasion  a  story  was  submitted  by  a 
woman  writer.    The  plot  involved  the  mysterious  theft  of 
oil  from  a  producing  well.    The  writer  not  only  stated  the 
fact,  but  described  in  detail  just  the  manner  in  which  the 
line  was  tapped  and  the  oil  drained  from  the  well.    This 
woman  undoubtedly  was  not  familiar  with  the  workings 
of  an  oil  line,  yet  she  had  taken  the  trouble  to  research  her 
material  and  make  this  act,  which  closely  involved  her 
plot,  very  plain  and  clear.  This  was  a  strong  point  in  favor 
of  her  story  when  it  came  to  be  considered,  and  led  to  its 
eventual  sale.    The  check  that  she  received  more  than  jus- 
tified her  in  the  expenditure  of  the  necessary  time  and 
mental  energy  which  brought  about  perfection  of  detail. 

9.  Studio  research  work  in  its  relation  to  a  produc- 

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tion  means  not  only  gathering  authentic  data,  but  requires 
an  intimate  knowledge  of  camera  effects  and  the  handling 
of  the  most  minute  details  of  wearing  apparel,  household 
furniture  and'utensils,  interior  decorations,  implements  of 
toil  and  trade,  and  a  thousand  and  one  other  things  that 
are  of  seemingly  little  importance,  yet  the  misuse  of  which 
may  lead  to  glaring  defects  in  the  completed  production. 

10.  In  "The  Red  Lantern,"  one  of  the  feature  pic- 
tures of  1919,  the  research  required  weeks  of  careful  work. 
Material   and  data  were  gathered  from  many  different 
sources  in  order  that  the  continuity  writer  who  handled 
the  final  version  of  the  working  manuscript  might  be  sure 
of  the  accuracy  of  even  the  smallest  item. 

11.  It  is  usually  unnecessary  for  the  creator  of  a 
story  to  go  to  such  extremes  as  these  employed  by  the  con- 
tinuity staff,  but  research  has  come  to  play  a  very  impor- 
tant part  in  the  original  construction  of  a  story,  and  should 
begin  before  a  line  is  written.     Provided  the  author  is 
equipped  with  a  technique  comprising  the  various  funda- 
mental values  covered  by  the  Handbook,  there  is  nothing 
more  indispensable  in  starting  to  evolve  a  photoplay  plot 
than  the   preliminary  or  contemporaneous   "diligent   in- 
quiry   or   examination    in    seeking    facts    or    principles; 
laborious  or  continued  search  after  truth."    This  serves  its 
chief  function  by  showing  the  writer  what  he  can  use  and 
what  he  cannot  out  of  the  mass  of  material  at  hand.     He 
must  research  to  find  reasons  that  can  be  brought  forward 
and  supported  sufficiently  to  warrant  the  use  of  his  mate- 
rial, reasons  based  upon  inferences  made  according  to  the 
laws  of  logic. 

12.  Better  qualities  of  unity,  sequence,  proportion 
and  co-ordination  may  be  secured  by  means  of  careful 
research,  rather  than  by  proceeding  hastily  and  carelessly, 
as  is  so  regrettably  often  the  case.     When  one  sets  forth 
upon  the  intricate  task  of  building  a  photoplay  plot,  event 

6 


upon  event,  sequence  upon  sequence,  situation  upon  situa- 
tion, supplying  motive,  natural  action,  well  balanced  con- 
flict, keeping  well  within  the  bounds  of  the  unities  until 
the  final  climax  is  reached,  one  must  be  as  sure  of  the 
material  in  hand  as  a  chemist  is  of  his  oxides,  carbides  and 
cyanides,  else  the  results  will  fall  short  of  perfection. 

13.  Less  than  a  week  ago  my  attention  was  called  to 
a  story,  the  entire  action  of  which  was  laid  in  California. 
This  began  in  an  interesting  way  and  proceeded  admirably 
in  every  respect  until  the  situation  immediately  preceding 
the  big  climax  was  reached.    The  suspense  had  been  well 
organized  and  excellently  sustained,  and  I  was  held  com- 
pletely in  the  spell  of  the  thing,  when — the  hero  and  hero- 
ine, seeking  to  escape  from  an  evil  pursuer,  were  overtaken 
by  a  storm.     Peering  through   the   trees,   they  saw  the 
unmistakable   conically   shaped   cloud    that    denoted    an 
approaching  tornado.     Fortunately  a  cyclone  cellar  was 
at  hand,  and  they  hastily  hid  in  it.     This  cyclone  cellar 
and  its  contents  were  perfectly  described.     The  pursuer 
was  about  to  enter  it,  and  murder  seemed  imminent,  when 
a  bolt  of  lightning  struck  him  and  he  was  instantlv  killed. 
Had  the  scene  been  laid  in  Kansas,  this  would  not  have 
been  at  all  improbable,  but  California  has  neither  cyclones 
nor  cyclone  cellars  in  the  foothills  of  the  Sierras,  and  fatal 
strokes  of   lightning  are   so   infrequent  as   to  be  almost 
unheard  of  in  the  Golden  State. 

14.  Of  course  this  sequence  could  be  replaced  by 
another  involving  different  incidents  that  would  serve  just 
as  well,  but  photoplay  editors  and  producers  are  seeking 
stories  to  produce,  not  to  laboriously  revise  and  rewrite. 
The  author  of  the  story  in  question  had  evidently  been 
familiar  with  cyclone  cellars,  for  he  knew  exactly  how 
they  are  built  and  furnished,  but  he  did  not  seem  to  realize 
that  they  are  unnecessary  and  unknown  in  California. 

15.  Up  to  this  point  in  the  story  the  craftsmanship 

7 


had  been  splendid,  but  the  sudden  involution  of  the  tor- 
nado, cyclone  cellar  and  stroke  of  lightning  had  the  same 
effect  upon  the  story  as  a  chemist  might  produce  by  adding 
one  drop  of  sulphuric  acid  to  a  properly  proportioned 
mixture  of  chlorate  of  potassium  and  sugar.  If  you  are 
not  familiar  with  the  results  of  such  procedure,  do  not  try 
it  unless  you  are  tired  of  life  and  have  an  ample  insurance 
policy  for  the  protection  of  your  heirs  and  assigns.  How 
do  I  know  what  would  happen  under  such  circumstances? 
I  did  not  five  minutes  ago,  but  I  picked  up  my  telephone 
and  consulted  a  chemist.  That  is  research! 

16.  Research  does  not  depend  upon  how  much  one 
knows,  but  rather  upon  where  and  how  to  seek  and  secure 
accurate  information.  A  story  involving  Alexander  Ham- 
ilton and  Aaron  Burr  showed  an  innocent  man  condemned 
to   death.     There  was  one   friend  who,   if   he  could   be 
reached  with  a  message,  could  intervene  and  save  the  inno- 
cent life.    The  condemned  man  asked  permission  to  send 
a  farewell  token  to  this  friend.     Turning  back  into  his 
cell,  he  secured  a  self-filling  fountain  pen,  which  he  had 
secreted.     The    pen    was    empty,    through    long    disuse. 
Cutting  a  gash  in  his  arm,  he  filled  the  pen  with  his  own 
blood,  wrote  a  note  on  a  small  scrap  of  paper,  hid  it  in  the 
cap  of  the  pen,  and  dispatched  the  gift  by  the  messenger. 
The  friend  received  the  pen,  found  the  note  in  the  cap, 
and  immediately  took  steps  that  resulted  in  the  freedom 
of  the  condemned  and  the  apprehension  of  the  person  who 
was  really  guilty. 

17.  All  very  well,  and  quite  effective  up  to  the  point 
of  realizing  that  self-filling  fountain  pens,  or  any  other 
kind  of  fountain  pens,  for  that  matter,  were  unheard  of 
during  the   lifetime  of   Hamilton   and    Burr.     Had   the 
author  substituted   a   different  expedient  and   saved   the 
fountain  pen  incident  for  use  in  a  more  modern  story,  he 
would  have  been  time  and  money  ahead. 

18.  In    another   manuscript    I    found    an    excellent 

8 


quality  of  suspense,  which  depended  upon  David  Crockett 
making  use  of  the  eight  bullets  in  a  Colt  Automatic.  If 
David  Crockett  and  his  associates  had  providentially  been 
equipped  with  Colt  Automatics,  the  Alamo  would  possi- 
bly have  been  saved  and  history  would,  of  necessity,  be 
rewritten.  Neither  Colt  nor  his  automatic  had  come  upon 
the  scene  in  those  days,  however,  all  of  which  would  have 
been  readily  brought  to  light  had  the  erring  author  in- 
dulged in  a  little  research. 

19.  During  the  past  year  I  have  run  across  such 
startling  things  as  an  electric  flash-lamp  in  the  days  of  Guy 
Fawkes,  an  Ingersoll  watch  carried  by  a  sea  captain  who 
was  a  contemporary  of  Sir  Francis  Drake,  the  theft  of 
unmounted  diamonds  by  means  of  a  magnet  suspended 
upon  a  string,  the  election  of  a  Supreme  Court  Justice  by 
popular  vote,  a  pioneer  in  the  Gold  Rush  of  '49  using  a 
safety  razor,  .and  enough  other  "bulls"  and  blunders  to 
make  one  wonder  why  books  of  reference  exist,  if  not  to 
be  used.     Some  of  these  examples  are  so  ridiculous  as  to 
sound    utterly    improbable.     Fortunately    such    flaws    in 
otherwise  well  constructed  photoplay  plots  are  seldom  so 
extreme,  but  in  whatever  degree  they  may  exist  they  are 
unforgivable  and  unnecessary.     In  the  photoplay  we  are 
reflecting  life,  and  why  not  "diligently  inquire  into  and 
examine  the  facts  and  principles"  in  order  that  the  great 
realities  of  life  mav  not  be  made  to  appear  unreal  by  their 
mode  of  presentation.     Do  not  permit  yourself  to  be  per- 
suaded that  producers  of  photoplays  want  nothing  but 
speed  and  punch.     Unless  there  be  truth,  sincerity  and 
reality,  all  other  requisites  are  futile. 

20.  There  are  many  details  and  circumstances  with 
which   the   average   person   is   not  expected   to   be   fully 
familiar.     One  may  know  little  or  nothing  of  court  pro- 
cedure, but  it  is  not  usually  difficult  to  obtain  information 
from  some  attorney  or  court  attache.     One  mav  desire  to 
deal  with  an  incident  in  which  the  action  of  a  certain 
poison  must  be  demonstrated.    No  great  effort  is  required 

9 


to  question  a  physician  or  pharmacist,  in  order  to  acquire 
specific  advice.  In  fact,  one  may  have  lived  in  seclusion 
and  be  possessed  of  a  minimum  of  general  information, 
and  be  possessed  of  not  a  single  volume  of  reference,  yet 
research  every  smallest  item  of  a  story  elaborately  and 
completely  by  consulting  persons  possessed  of  special  sorts 
of  knowledge  or  libraries  containing  books  dealing  with 
the  accumulated  knowledge  of  the  ages.  A  little  time,  a 
little  patience,  a  little  mental  energy — these  are  necessary 
if  you  expect  to  attain  the  fame  and  fortune  that  await  the 
successful  photoplaywright.  Yet  what  joy  there  is  in 
every  bit  of  the  work  necessary  to  achieve  these  things! 

21.  If  you  are  not  willing  to  thus  carefully  research 
your  material  and  your  own  mind,  then  let  me  say  to  you, 
do  one  of  two  things:    either  work  until  you  can  or  quit 
the  business  of  writing.     Edwin   Booth  once  spent  five 
hours  in  his  hotel  room  pacing  the  floor  and  repeating 
Nathan's  charge  to  David,  "Thou  art  the  man,"  in  every 
tone,  cadence  and  shade  of  expression  of  which  he  was 
master,  until  an  occupant  of  an  adjoining  room  went  down 
and  reported  that  there  was  a  crazy  man  upstairs,  but  it 
was  to  just  such  insanity  that  Edwin  Booth  owed  the  secret 
of  his  success.    What  was  this  but  research?    Would  that 
such  insanity  were  contagious  among  young  writers — the 
insanity  of  preparation,  the  craze  for  research.     Edwin 
Booth  was  a  genius,  you  say.    True,  and  Daniel  Webster 
said,  "I  know  of  no  genius  but  the  genius  of  careful,  hard 
work." 

22.  When    Benjamin    Disraeli    made    his    maiden 
speech  in  the  British  Parliament  his  halting  effort  was 
jeered  and  he  was  laughed  at.    "I  will  sit  down  now,"  he 
said,  "but  the  time  will  come  when  you  shall  hear  me," 
and  the  time  did  come  when  the  voice  of  Lord  Beacons- 
field,  England's  first  statesman,  was  listened  to  not  only  in 
England's  Parliament  Halls,  but  all  over  the  world.     In 
the  first  instance,  Disraeli  was  not  prepared  for  the  effort 
that  he  made,  but  his  "diligent  inquiry  and  examination  in 

10 


seeking  facts  and  principles"  made  him  one  of  the  great 
men  of  his  time. 

23.  The  same  principles  are  as  applicable  to  the^ 
growth  and  progress  of  a  photoplaywright  as  to  the  mak- 
ing of  a  statesman.    "In  every  realm  of  art  the  genius  of 
inspiration  is  in  itself  inadequate  without  the  training  and 
discipline  which  enables  it  to  perfectly  express  itself." 
Easily  fifty  per  cent  of  the  stories  that  fail,  either  as 
printed  fiction  or  as  photoplays,  do  so  because  the  search- 
light of  research  has  not  been  turned  upon  the  one  big  idea 
aimed  at,  and  the  necessary  auxiliary  details.     Many  a 
meandering  story  gives  an  editor  the  impression  that  the 
author  has  aimed  at  nothing — and  hit  it.    Careful  research 
would,  in  most  cases,  strengthen  the  weaknesses  and  elimi- 
nate the  errors  that  render  the  story  unsalable. 

24.  In  some  ways,  1  pity  you  who  are  just  entering 
upon  your  careers,  but  mostly  my  feeling  is  one  of  envy. 
Successful  writing  is  bound  to  include  some  hard  knocks, 
and  while  you  remain  unacknowledged  vou  may  look  at 
others  who  are  more  successful  and  say,  "Why  is  it — what 
keeps  me  back?"    You  will  despair  and  bite  your  lips  to 
keep  back  the  tears,  or,  if  you  are  a  man,  to  keep  back 
something  more  forceful,  if  not  so  fine,  and  declare  that 
it  is  only  influence  and  money  that  get  writers  on  in  the 
world,  but  let  me  assure  you  that  during  those  struggling 
moments  nothing  will  be  keeping  you  back.     You  are  go- 
ing forward  the  whole  time,  but  you  do  not  realize  it  be- 
cause the  progress  is  gradual.     The  first  hill  may  appear 
to  be  terribly  steep,  and  the  climb  long  and  hard,  but 
when  you  get  to  the  top  the  atmosphere  begins  to  clear 
amazingly. 

25.  There  are  still  other  hills  ahead  of  you,  but  after 
the   first  one  your  courage   rises   tremendously   and  you 
sometimes  scale  the  succeeding  heights  in  a  surprisingly 
short  time.     Perhaps  the  worst  thing  that  can  happen  to 
you  is  to  get  a  lift  up  that  first  hill  and  scale  the  top  with 
too  little  effort.     The  backbone  of  experience   and   the 

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courage  of  obstacles  overcome  is  invaluable.  The  first 
hill  of  success  is  hardest  to  climb  and  each  succeeding  one 
is  easier,  but  all  the  struggle  and  work,  the  careful  ap- 
plication and  the  diligent  effort  is  so  well  worth  while  that 
no  one  should  whine  or  whimper  one  little  bit. 

26.  You  may  be  tired  and  discouraged  at  first,  but 
you  will  soon  get  over  that  when  you  find  that  the  final 
fruits  of  your  efforts  are  in  demand — that  discerning  men 
are  eager  to  pay  for  the  stories  that  have  cost  you  so  much 
study  and  work  and  research.     Yet  while  the  money  is 
very  welcome  and  frequently  very,  very  necessary,  while 
the  "feel"  of  fame  gladdens  the  heart  and  quickens  the 
pulse — after  all  it  is  the  joy  of  creating — the  magic  of 
imagining  characters  and  visualizing  situations  and  cli- 
maxes— that  is  the  superlative  possession  of  ,the  photo- 
playwright. 

27.  And  now,  in  closing,  as  preachers  and  after- 
dinner  speechmakers  are  wont  to  say,  let  us  go  way  down 
to  the  foundation  of  the  whole  matter — your  text  books 
and   your   own    mind.     Research    them    frequently    and 
thoroughly.     Review  the  Handbook  and  the  Plot  Ency- 
clopedia at  intervals.     Examine  your  fund  of  knowledge 
and  satisfy  yourself  that  you  are  sure  of  the  various  points 
that  have  been  set  forth  for  your  perusal  and  mental  prog- 
ress.    Do  not  take  too  much  for  granted.     Do  not  allow 
yourself  to  assume  that  you  know  things  that  you  really 
do  not  know.     Do  not  be  superficial.     Research  is  dia- 
metrically opposed  to  superficiality.     The  man  or  woman 
who  persists  in   research  is  the  genuine  student  who  is 
bound   to  succeed  in  spite  of  every  obstacle  and  every 
handicap.   It  is  cock-sure  carelessness  that  leads  to  failure. 


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